Bringing your child to Croatia? Health insurance means about €1,500 up front and €125 a month

A child who has only temporary stay in Croatia is not covered by a working parent's health insurance. In 2026 the parent pays a one-off €1,499.52 to enter the HZZO system and then €124.96 a month, until the child gets permanent stay or long-term residence.

Published 2026-10-13 · Source checked 2026-10-12

Many Nepali workers in Croatia hope to bring their spouse and children through family reunification. Before a child arrives, plan for a cost that surprises many families: a child with temporary stay (privremeni boravak) is not covered by the parent's health insurance, even when both parents work and pay contributions. The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) confirmed this to Faktograf in October and to N1 in June.^[1][2]

The reason is the child's own residence status, not the parents' jobs. According to HZZO, a foreign child can be insured as a family member only after getting permanent stay (stalni boravak) or long-term residence (dugotrajno boravište); from then on the child is insured from the state budget until 18, like Croatian children.^[1] Until then, the law on health insurance for foreigners makes the parent responsible for paying the child's contributions.^[1][4] Long-term residence generally requires five years of uninterrupted stay in Croatia, according to the Ministry of the Interior (MUP).^[5]

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The cost in 2026, as HZZO told Faktograf: the parent must register the child at the local HZZO office within eight days of the child's temporary stay being approved, and then pay a monthly contribution of €124.96.^[1][4] Before the child can enter the system, the parent must also make a one-off payment covering the time since the child's previous insurance ended, including insurance in another country, for up to 12 months: €1,499.52 in 2026.^[1] HZZO says this is not a backdated contribution but a condition for joining.^[1][3] Our own calculation: for one child, the first year comes to about €3,000 (€1,499.52 plus 12 × €124.96 = €2,998.98); for two children, about €6,000. A spouse who is not working faces the same kind of bill; in the family Faktograf described, the wife was charged €1,500 before she found a job.^[1]

Paying matters for the child's papers too. Faktograf reports that proof from HZZO that the health insurance has been paid must be attached when the child's residence is renewed at MUP.^[1] Keep every payment receipt with the child's residence documents.

Will it change? Croatia's Ombudsperson for Children told Faktograf that since 2014 it has repeatedly asked for all children on temporary stay to get the same health protection, paid from the state budget, most recently in June 2026, but the Ministry of Health has not accepted the proposal.^[1] An online petition started by the association Latinos en Croacia has gathered nearly 1,100 signatures.^[1] No change to the rules has been announced.

What to do: put these costs into your family-reunification budget before you apply, alongside rent and travel. Ask your employer whether it will help; according to the petition, employers often do not cover children's insurance.^[1] Once the child's temporary stay is approved, register the child at the HZZO office within eight days, pay every month, and keep the receipts. Ask HZZO for the exact amount in your case, because the one-off payment depends on when the child's previous insurance ended. This is general information; for your own situation, contact HZZO or the police administration (MUP) that handles your residence.

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